Ricky has to wait for op (From Barry And District News)

Ricky has to wait for op

A MUM is wondering if her baby son will ever get the treatment he needs after a second attempt to go to Great Ormond Street hospital was aborted.

Baby Ricky Jay Roberts is just 16 months old, and in the first 16 weeks of his life he has had eight operations.

He was due to go to the specialist children"s hospital in London last week to find out what the next step in his treatment will be - but the ambulance that was expected to take him there turned up three hours late.

Ricky Jay was born with a blockage in his wind-pipe, which is called a Webber Membrane, and this prevented him breathing properly.

He had this removed but has had major problems through complications. He had a tracheotomy and a tube in his stomach so that he can be fed.

His mum Bronwen Dennis, who grew up in Barry, but now lives in Illtyd Avenue in Llantwit Major, said: "He is a great little boy considering what he has been through.

"He was diagnosed with MRSA on two occasions. He had an operation every two weeks for the fist 16 weeks of his life and was in hospital for a long time.

"He also had to have a special device to stop the stomach acid coming back up his throat. This meant that he could not eat solid food.

"The Nissan Fundo-placation stops the excess acid coming out of his stomach.

"I have been told he needs another operation, but the hospital will not perform it until he has been seen by specialists at Great Ormond Street. We were supposed to go last week and the week before that.

"The week before, the University of Wales Hospital did not know he was supposed to be in London, so he did not go.

"Last Friday he had an appointment at 10.30am and Ricky Jay was ready to go at 6am when the ambulance was due to come.

"They turned up at 9am.

"I was told the computers were down, but when they arrived they did not know they were supposed to be there at 6am. I thought this had been arranged.

"They said they could put the blue light on and get there as fast as possible - but Great Ormond Street said if we were late we"d have to wait."

Ricky Jay has another appointment this Friday.

Bronwen looks after Ricky Jay at home, and has special equipment to give him as normal a life a possible. But the 31-year-old former Treharne Road resident said: "If I don"t fight for him, then who will?"

A Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust spokes-man said: "We have not received a formal complaint from the patient"s family about this incident.

"Should the family wish to issue a letter of complaint, the Trust would investigate."